Duds

Los Angeles citizens crawled out of beds and goggled at the moon. The
city had been blacked out. Suddenly, from dozens of Army anti-aircraft
posts, searchlights lanced the dark. Orange bursts blossomed in the
sky. The city shook with the concussion of ack-ack guns. For almost two
hours, except for one 15-minute interval of scary silence, batteries
coughed steadily, spewed 1,430 rounds of ammunition into the night.

Los Angelenos had no doubt that they were being attacked. Early morning
extras confirmed the fact. Said the Los Angeles Times:...